A NUNEATON school faces a final anxious wait to see if it has been successful in its bid for sports college status.

Alderman Smith School is hoping to develop a #1.3 million centre of sporting excellence at its Radnor Drive base, in Stockingford.

At the end of 2001, staff heard it had been shortlisted for the special status and began to prepare for a visit from government education inspectors.

This has now taken place and the school faces a two-week wait to hear their conclusions.

Head teacher Trevor Nunn said: ?We really don?t know how it went at all. It was very intensive and the inspectors certainly don?t give anything away.

?We?ve been told we should hear in the first or second week of February so we have just got to keep our fingers crossed.?

Inspector Ivor Morgan spent the day at the school going through its bid. His remit was to find out if everything it stated it could do on paper was actually achievable in reality.

A finance test was also carried out, as well as a health check, and an assessment team at the Department for Education and Standards will now bring together all the different elements and analyse them as a whole.

Once the school secures sports college status it can apply for lottery cash to build the centre of sporting excellence, which would help budding stars from across the country.

The completed project would have up to six badminton courts, a multi-gym and fitness suite, an indoor climbing wall and facilities for indoor cricket and football.

As well as outreach programmes for junior and primary schools, there would be courses for Warwickshire teachers, coaching courses and individual training for talented athletes.

Mr Nunn added: ?We?ve hit the #50,000 mark in corporate sponsorship which is what we needed and now we just have to wait to hear back from the inspectors to work out where we go from there.?